Chor Lau Heung’s love to Song Siu Ching

Siu Ching asking if Chor tai-gor liked her (Ep 11)

Phuong has recently left some very nice comments on my posts, particularly the Chor Lau Heung posts. Thank you, Phuong, truly appreciate your presence! Some of Phuong’s recent comments were about CLH’s love to SSC, for I did indeed express doubt on how much Chor tai-gor loved SC.

I like Phuong’s comments on the matter of CLH’s love to SC; she explained it systematically that it works for me, who tends to prefer someone expressing his love, instead of just showing his love. Since Phuong’s comments were posted on a CLH episode recap (Eps11-16) that I wrote in September 2015, I asked her if I could copy her comments onto a new post. With her permission, here they are. I label her comments as “Phuong” with normal fonts and mine as “Icha” with blue sentences. Thanks a lot, Phuong!

Phuong:

I rewatched CLH again (I lost count of the # of times I watched it lol) and I don't think I ever question his love for SC. He seems to be attracted to her the first time he met her as can be seen in the way he treats/talks to her. He only called her miss Song like once (when he introduced her to Zo) and the rest of the time, he naturally called her by her given name vs him calling miss Wah/Koh/Kam thru the whole movie. He also touches her /holding her hands every chance he got. I do agree that they didn't realized their feelings for each other until episode 11 at Dr Cheong's place. It was then that SC realized she loves him and when she asked to call his name again and cried that it touches a part of CLH's heart and he realized he has feelings for her (deeper than just friends) when he was told she had left, hence the shock/disappointment/sadness.

CLH's disappointment when he learned SC was gone (Ep 11)

He was happy to see her the next time they met (with her father), too bad their moment was cut short by inspector Ying. I think a lot happened in the 3 days at the Peace mansion in regard to their relationship. They rarely seen without each other and they don't seem to run out of things to talk to each other. At the scene where the two couples crossed path (CLH/Jan Jan and SC/Tin Ho), CLH automatically tried to explain to SC that she got him wrong, that it was not what it looks like between him and Jan Jan and he then looked at Tin Ho like what are you still doing here??? Too bad they didn't continue to show their date. If they weren't dating, why would he need to explain? And of course with CLH's personality, the fact that he explains say a lot. 

Then on the 3rd day (their last day together before she has to go home), he said time seems to fly by too fast that day, and he offered to leave with her (to prolong their time together).
And of course the scene between him and Wu Tit Fa where he admits (sadly) that he knows he has no future with SC (found out she's a princess). Again, the fact that he thought of their future together is the telltale sign of his love for her.

Icha:

I COMPLETELY missed this! How come I didn't see it?? I have to check Ep 2-3 to see when he actually called her "Siu Ching" the first time, how come I missed that!

" At the scene where the 2 couples crossed path (CLH/Janjan and SC/Tin Ho), CLH automatically tried to explain to SC that she got him wrong, that it was not what it looks like between him and Janjan and he then looked at Tin Ho like what are you still doing here??? Too bad they didn't continue to show their date. If they weren't dating, why would he need to explain? And of course with CLH's personality, the fact that he explains say a lot.
Then on the 3rd day (their last day together before she has to go home), he said time seems to fly by too fast that day, and he offered to leave with her (to prolong their time together)."

TRUE, TRUE! Those are the signs that CLH was at least genuinely interested in her!

But are those the signs that he LOVES her?

I mean, to me, he started to realise SC meant a lot to him when she left him at Dr Cheong's clinic (Ep 11). But he started to realise he loved her when he couldn't get her... as in, when he realised she was a princess.

Does this make sense? Or, what do you think?

Phuong:

As CLH didn't straight out said he loves SC, it's up to one's interpretation if and when he does love her. Here's my take based on his personality and character.

Although people dupe CLH as being a flirt/ladies' man, I believe that's more because of how nice he is toward women so they all ended up falling in love with him, and not because he's the type who hook up with all women. Woo once said despite all the women, CLH was never serious about anyone of them, until SC of course, and even Woo can tell that SC is different, that's why he encouraged Jan Jan to actively pursue CLH.

CLH himself I believe is a very faithful person. He takes relationship/marriage seriously and it's more of a one in a lifetime kind of love to him. If he's not serious about relationship, he could just have fun with SC until the time she has to get back to the capital. Yet once he knows about her status, he begins to control his feelings for her by avoiding her, to prevent him if not both of them from getting hurt as there's no happy ending to the relationship. Fell Cut also commented that CLH is loyal to love. Although he knows Jan Jan likes him and he is too nice to tell her that he doesn't feel that way, he doesn't encourage Jan Jan either. Instead, often time he would express to Jan Jan how he worries and how much he misses SC. He even told Jan Jan that she will eventually find her soul mate.

Back in the day, I believe people use xihuan (like) and ai (love) interchangeably. Also, [people of] opposite sex don't tend to hold hands or show affections unless they're in a serious relationship, and even then, it was mostly done in private. In public, any inappropriate touching could ruin a girl's reputation/life.

CLH is always proper and courteous toward women and always treat them with respect. Yet with SC since day 1, he doesn't act very proper at all. He's very familiar/relax with her, always playful and flirt outrageously with her, and always seem to be touching her. It's like he knows her all his life instead of just met. The first time SC got kidnapped by Koo Tai Pang, SC was in her white sleep clothes and neither of them make a fuss about it. Yet when CLH found Jan Jan in a disheveled condition in his room, he seems uncomfortable and embarrass. He always takes SC's side, which of course make the 3 ladies mad and often comment that he always favors SC. 

Chor tai-gor trying to explain to SC that he didn't date Jan Jan (Ep 15)

Once he realized he has real feelings for SC after she left him at Dr Cheong, I believe the 3 days at Peace mansion is significant in the progress of their relationship, especially to CLH. All the walks, his rush to explain his relationship with Jan Jan, his comments of time flying too fast and suggest to leave with her in the morning, and of course the chess scene when he holds SC's hands (CLH declaring himself). All these are signs of love. Consider how honorable he is, he wouldn't do all that if he's not serious about her, so to me, he's in love with her and not just a mere interest or like. I'm not saying he's ready to marry her then, he would take things slow as he once said marriage is very important to him. But consider his attitude of taking things as they come, he wouldn't think about their future together if he didn't love her right? And that's why he's so heartbroken when telling Woo that there is no future for him and SC.

Also not sure if you notice but he never shy away from showing SC his affections, so much that pretty much every around them know they're an item. Every time he comes back or leaving for a dangerous mission, if SC didn't run to him first then he always goes directly to her, holding her arms/shoulder and reassure her that he's alright. He even did this several times in front of her father and that's a significant sign consider her father is an emperor. 

Awww.... (Ep 31)

Although he is considered a flirt, CLH doesn't strike me as a person who uses flowery words to woo a girl. He's more likely the type to show them. Unlike Woo and YTW who would say all the lovely words, but not faithful in their actions. The fact that Woo and YTW both slept with Kam only show how honorable and faithful CLH is in relationship. He could've taking advantage of SC and Jan Jan consider their feelings, but he was serious enough not to dishonor SC that way, and I'm glad your fan fics didn't portray him as such. Actions speak louder than words!

Icha:

Well, thanks a lot for your commentaries, Phuong. I do agree with all you wrote; your assertions make a lot of sense.

There’s one thing I’d like to verify though:

Phuong: Every time [CLH] comes back or leaving for a dangerous mission, if SC didn't run to him first then he always goes directly to her, holding her arms/shoulder and reassure her that he's alright.

I actually only remember one time when CLH left for a mission and he was the first one who told SC that he’d come back safely. That was when he was about to steal Lady Kam’s Dragon Staff. He turned to SC to take his leave nicely, while SC worried about his safety.

However, for the time he departed to the Bat Palace with the lot (the first time he entered the Bat Palace), and also the time he left to confront Zo Hing Hau, he went out straight to business. It’s not that he didn’t care about SC back then, nor that it diminishes his love to her; but it seems the Bat and Zo businesses were serious enough for him to be so focused, at the expense of saying goodbye to Siu Ching.

I guess that’s what I like about CLH as well. He can be so “straight-to-business” that he cast away his flirtatious nature on those moments.

And I do agree that CLH was not the flirt that Ouyang Ke was (although Liu Zhiyang's Ouyang Ke in Legend of Condor Heroes 2017 was my new favourite). I’ve only seen CLH pinching his sisters’ chins in Ep 1, and he still had a spa-moment with So Yung Yung when she massaged him in Ep 3 or 4… but in the rest of the series, he’d only flirt and caress Siu Ching…

Perhaps there was something deeper in CLH’s nature than merely a flirt… he truly enjoyed being surrounded by beauty… but as the series progressed, his relationship with the three girls became more brother and sisters, while his stance to SC became closer to that of a lover.

Thoughts?

Also, I just feel I need to add two CLH/SC screen shots that showed how CLH did care about SC's wellbeing (or jealousy). The first one is when Jan Jan gave CLH a memento (Ep 21), while the second one was when the bats (the animals) attacked the Peace Mansion, and, worried that SC was bitten by the bats, Chor tai-gor immediately turned to see if she was okay. 

Here Chor tai-gor looked worried about SC's reaction (Ep 21)

This is a "blink-and-you-miss-it" moment, but he did care for her... (Ep 25)

I think those moments were so cute...